Velocipede equipped with dump body

ABSTRACT

A tricycle is provided with a depressed rear frame portion for the support of a pivoted dumping body including a tailgate. A simplified manual linkage on the tricycle frame in ready reach of the rider enables the dump body and tailgate to be operated by the rider while on the seat of the tricycle or velocipede.

1 United States Patent 1 Holloway 111 3,738,701 June 12, 1973 VELOCIPEDEEQUIPPED WITH DUMP BODY [76] Inventor: Joseph Marion Holloway, 311 W.9th

. St., Sedalia, Mo. 65301 [22] Filed: July 2, 1971 [21] Appl. No.:159,422

52 U.S .Cl. 298/19 R, 46/214 51 Int. Cl. B60p 1/12, B60p 1/28 [58] Fieldof Search 298/19 R, 2, 19 V,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,838,224 12/1931 Holloway298/19 R Evans 273/201 2,563,974 8/1951 Thierry 46/40 PrimaryExaminer-Richard J Johnson Assistant Examiner-Reinhard EisenzopfAttorney-Kimmel, Crowell & Weaver 57] ABSTRACT A tricycle is providedwith a depressed rear frame portion for the support of a pivoted dumpingbody including a tailgate. A simplified manual linkage on the tricycleframe in ready reach of the rider enables the dump body and tailgate tobe operated by the rider while on the seat of the tricycle orvelocipede.

4 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures PATENIED 2W3 INVENTOR JOSEPH M. HOLLOWAYATTORNEYS BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWING FIGURES FIG. 1 is a sideelevation of a velocipede having a dump body and dump body operatingmeans in accordance with the invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the structure shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a side elevation of the velocipede with the dump body in theelevated dumping position.

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary enlarged perspective view of the dump bodyoperating linkage.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Referring to the drawings in detail wherein likenumerals designate like parts, a tricycle velocipede includes a frontsteering and propelling wheel 10 journaled on the usual steering fork 11having handle bars 12. A curved downwardly extending frame bar 13extending rearwardly from the fork 11 carries the riders seat 14 and isjoined rigidly at its lower end to the traits verse horizontal cross bar15 of a rearwardly extending U-shaped level frame 16 having a relativelylow elevation, as shown. The rear ends of the sides of the U- shapedframe 16 are secured to and supported by a rear transverse axle 17 uponwhichthe two rear wheels 18 of the velocipede are mounted in aconventional manner.

Disposed above the level U-shapedframel6 is a dump box or body 19 havingsuitable bearings 20 on its bottom enabling the dump body to pivot onthe axis of the transverse axle 17 as it is raised and lowered by alinkage, to be described. The dump body has a tailgate 21 pivoted to itstop rear. The tailgate 21 is pivotally connected, below its pivotalconnection to the dump body, to a rod 22 extending close to one side ofthe dump body. A bell crank 23 is pivoted to the side of the dump bodyat 24 and one of its arms is pivotally connected to the rod 22 at 25.The other armof the bell crank is pivoted to a fixed upstanding bracket26 on one side of the frame 16. This mechanism causes the tailgate 21 toswing open automatically as the dump body 19 is raised or tilted and toclose automatically when the dump body is returned to its levelposition.

Optionally, the dump body 19 may be equipped with a riders seat 27suitably detachably secured thereto above the rear wheels 18approximately.

The mechanism or linkage for operating the dump body 19 is essentiallyan over-dead-center manual linkage and comprises a short verticallyswingable link 28 having its upper end pivotally secured at 29 to oneside of the frame bar 13 intermediate the ends of the frame bar. Asshown best in FIG. 2, the short link 28 is formed with a lateral offsetso that the main operating lever, to be described, will clear the frontwheel fender. The other end of the short link 28 is pivotally connectedat 30 to a main elongated dump body operating lever or handle 31 whichalso swings in a vertical plane and has its lower end pivotallyconnected at 32 to a rigid L- bracket 33 on the front of dump body 19near the bottom thereof and spaced somewhat from the center line of thevehicle, FIG. 2. The bottom pivot 32 for lever 31 is spaced considerablybelow the pivots 29 and 30 and the short link 28.

To operate the pivoted dump body, the rider on the seat 14 grasps theupright handle or lever 31 and swings the same forwardly and downwardlyupon the pivot 32 which is initially vertically below the pivot 30,FIGS. 1 and 4. The short link 28 and lever 31 will travel tointermediate positions such as shown in FIG. 1 in broken lines with lostmotion and to unlock the dump body by moving the linkage from thedead-center condition shown in full lines in FIG. 1. As the downwardmovement of the lever 31 continues toward its full down position in FIG.3, the short link 28 will begin to swing in the opposite direction onits suspension pivot 29 and will reach the position approximately asshown in FIG. 3. At this time, the lever 31 will have been moved almostfrom its original dead-center position in FIG. 1 and the dump body 19 iselevated to the dumping position with the tailgate open. Release of thelever 31 will allow the dump body to return by gravity to its normallevel position where it is locked by the over-deadcenter arrangement ofthe pivots 32 and 30 and will not tilt again until the lever 31 ispushed forwardly. The mechanism for operating the dump body is extremelysimplified, compact, sturdy and very economical to manufacture and easyto operate.

It is to be understood that the form of the invention herewith shown anddescribed is to be taken as a preferred example of the same, and thatvarious changes in the shape, size and arrangement of parts may beresorted to, without departing from the spirit of the invention or scopeof the subjoined claims.

I claim:

1. A velocipede comprising a tricycle body portion including a levelrear frame extension, a dump body pivotally mounted at its rear on saidframe extension for movement between a normal level position and anupwardly tilted dumping position, and a manual linkage for operating thedump body comprising, when the dump body is in said level position, asingle short link having a lateral offset therein and having an upperend connected by a first pivotal connection with a frame part of thetricycle body portion for forward-rearward movement so as to extenddownwardly and rearwardly of said first pivotal connection, and anelongated substantially straight and vertically extending operatinglever, that is longer than said link, connected by a second pivotalconnection intermediate its ends for forwardrearward movement to thelower end of said short link and having its lower end below said secondpivotal connection connected by a third pivotal connection forforward-rearward movement to the forward end of the dump body, wherebysaid lever when the dump body is in said level position causes the dumpbody to be locked in the level position and a downward and forwardmovement of the lever about said third pivotal connection causes thelink to first swing forwardly and then swing rearwardly about said firstpivotal connection until the lever extends forwardly and downwardly ofsaid third pivotal connection and the link extends downwardly andrearwardly of said first pivotal connection with the dump body in saidtilted position.

2. The structure of claim 1, and a bracket on the forward end of thedump body near its bottom and said lower end of the lever pivoted to thedump body through said bracket to form said third pivotal connection,said bracket and lever being spaced laterally from the center line ofthe velocipede.

3. The structure of claim 1, and a pivoted tailgate on said dump body,and an operating linkage for the tailgate including parts connected withthe tailgate, dump body and said frame extension, whereby the tailgatewill open and close automatically as the dump body is therebelow.

1. A velocipede comprising a tricycle body portion including a levelrear frame extension, a dump body pivotally mounted at its rear on saidframe extension for movement between a normal level position and anupwardly tilted dumping position, and a manual linkage for operating thedump body comprising, when the dump body is in said level position, asingle short link having a lateral offset therein and having an upperend connected by a first pivotal connection with a frame part of thetricycle body portion for forward-rearward movement so as to extenddownwardly and rearwardly of said first pivotal connection, and anelongated substantially straight and vertically extending operatinglever, that is longer than said link, connected by a second pivotalconnection intermediate its ends for forward-rearward movement to thelower end of said short link and having its lower end below said secondpivotal connection connected by a third pivotal connection forforward-rearward movement to the forward end of the dump body, wherebysaid lever when the dump body is in said level position causes the dumpbody to be locked in the level position and a downward and forwardmovement of the lever about said third pivotal connection causes thelink to first swing forwardly and then swing rearwardly about said firstpivotal connection until the lever extends forwardly and downwardly ofsaid third pivotal connection and the link extends downwardly andrearwardly of said first pivotal connection with the dump body in saidtilted position.
 2. The structure of claim 1, and a bracket on theforward end of the dump body near its bottom and said lower end of thelever pivoted to the dump body through said bracket to form said thirdpivotal connection, said bracket and lever being spaced laterally fromthe center line of the velocipede.
 3. The structure of claim 1, and apivoted tailgate on said dump body, and an operating linkage for thetailgate including parts connected with the tailgate, dump body and saidframe extenSion, whereby the tailgate will open and close automaticallyas the dump body is raised and lowered.
 4. The structure of claim 1 andsaid first pivotal connection connected with a curved seat supportingframe bar of the velocipede between the front and rear wheels thereofand substantially below the seat of the velocipede, said operating leverwhen the dump body is in said level position having an upper handleextension disposed close to the rear of the seat and immediatelytherebelow.